1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of antimicrobial active compounds and in particular antimicrobial active compounds in which a non-branched (straight-chain) 1,2-alkanediol is present in an antimicrobially effective amount.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry and also in the food industry there is an ongoing need for agents with antimicrobial properties, in particular for the preservation of products that are otherwise perishable (such as, for example, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products or foods), but also for the direct cosmetic or therapeutic treatment of microorganisms which can have an adverse influence on the human or animal body. Microorganisms that can give rise to body odour, acne, mycoses or the like may be mentioned by way of example.
It is true that a multiplicity of antimicrobial active compounds are already used in the technical fields concerned, but alternatives continue to be sought in order to be able to carry out targeted special treatments and/or reduce side effects. However, in this context when searching for alternative agents having an antimicrobial and in particular a preservative action it must be taken into account that the substances used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and/or food sector must be                toxicologically acceptable,        well tolerated by the skin,        stable (especially in the customary cosmetic and/or pharmaceutical formulations),        substantially and preferably completely odourless and        able to be prepared inexpensively (i.e. using standard methods and/or starting from standard precursors).        
The search for suitable (active) substances that possess one or more of the said properties to an adequate extent is made more difficult for those skilled in the art because there is no clear dependence between the chemical structure of a substance, on the one hand, and its biological activity towards specific microorganisms (germs) and its stability, on the other hand. Furthermore, there is no predictable relationship between the antimicrobial action, toxicological acceptability, tolerance by the skin and the stability of a substance.